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53. Florian
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Salt to the Sea, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Agency, Willpower, and Fate
Storytelling and Fantasy
Memory and Survival
Family and Community vs. Selfishness
Summary
Analysis
The Poet wakes the refugees in the morning so they can cross the frozen lagoon. Joana plans to tell any Germans that Emilia is on her way to meet her boyfriend. This makes Emilia think of August, and how she observed him carefully. Emilia knows Joana has been observing her, but feels confident that even Joana has not perceived Emilia’s darkest secrets.
Joana knows that Emilia will be denied passage if she admits that she is Polish, but will be able to continue on if she lies about who she is. Emilia returns to her fantasy of August as self-soothing meditation in times of stress.
Themes
